The Hassles - the debut album by American rock band The Hassles, released November 21, 1967 at United Artists Records in the United States (UAS 6631) and Italy (UAS 9020). Reprinted in 1980 on United Artists Records (UAS 6631 / K25P-64) in Japan and in 1981 in the Liberty (LN-10138) in the United States. There is also a modern Japanese reissue on Liberty (LBS-70162).Group Long Island (New York) The Hassles remained famous in the history of music in the first place because it sang and played keyboards on 18-year-old Billy Joel. It is called the envelope of their debut album flowery full name William Martin Joel Joseph. This is not the first group, which was attended by the young Joel, but the first, with which he recorded on the plates. During the two years of its existence, The Hassles released two albums and several singles.HISTORYThere are earlier recordings of Billy Joel with the group The Lost Souls (Lost Souls). Demos were made in 1965, when the musician was only fifteen, and lay 40 years unfulfilled. They saw the light (two songs The Lost Souls: "My Journey's End" and "Time And Time Again") only in 2005 on CD-collection My Lives, which includes all previously unreleased albums of Billy Joel.Four people from the children's band The Lost Souls - Blauvelt Howard bassist, singer and percussionist John Dizek, lead guitarist Richard McKenna himself Billy Joel - collected in 1967 his first adult rock band, calling it The Hassles. "Hassles" translated "the barriers, obstacles, difficulties." This group was also not very mature, the oldest in it - the lead guitarist was 20, and the rest were still teenagers. Their music is a mixture similar to Vanilla Fudge (their countrymen from Long Island), New Yorkers The Young Rascals and British Spencer Davis Group. Heavy keys, in imitation of the sound of Vanilla Fudge, made the organ Hammond B-3 Billy Joel, a pianist by training.However, The Hassles managed to sign a record deal with a major label United Artists Records and released in November 1967 debut album. The record for the most part filled with covers of other people's songs. Obviously, it was the policy of the issuing company: prefer strangers to their popular songs unconfirmed. The album has just three rooms of his own, and all of them had a hand in Joel. The first of them - the album opens with "Warming Up" (warming up), really is, that is a purely instrumental introduction, "warm up" for the future of music.Joel's second song - "I Can Tell" - can be heard on the second side of the plate. This soul-style blue-eyed white soul, executable countrymen The Young Rascals (especially the vocals in their spirit), Philadelphians Soul Survivors and British Spencer Davis Group. And the instrumental part is strongly reminiscent of Booker T and the MGs, especially guitar and organ of the party.Third, one of the best song of the album - "Every Step I Take (Every Move I Make)" - written by Joel album with producers Tony Michaels and Vinnie Gorman. Its only drawback - the short, sound engineers somehow took away this beautiful melody in sharp attenuation at 2:29. Text of unrequited love. Joel has included in the same collection of My Lives (2005), only two things, reminiscent of The Hassles: "Every Step I Take (Every Move I Make)" and a cover version of the popular 1966 hit "You've Got Me Hummin '" ( It is known tandem pesnesochiniteley Isaac Hayes - David Porter). The single from this song became the sole plate The Hassles, charted in Billboard. He rose to 112th place. In the heyday of his solo career in 1983, Joel released again "You've Got me Hummin '" on sorokopyatki."A Taste Of Honey" (Taste of Honey) The Hassles interpretation has nothing to do with the well-known version of The Beatles. The boys set to work seriously complicating its composition, constantly changing pace, weighted by powerful drums and Hammond organ.Even more unrecognizable in the interpretation of The Hassles another popular song - "Fever" (Rush), an old hit of 1956, which is famous by Elvis Presley, Peggy Lee, The McCoys and many others. The Hassles tried here so that made this pridzhazovannogo rhythm and blues real hard rock thing with all its haunting on during hard guitar riffs. A vocalist (Joel is unclear or another vocalist John Dizek) works in excruciating fashion soul. At the same songs the only drawback - its early and abruptly taken to the attenuation. Riff really fascinating, it is possible to listen and listen. Whether the group did not have the psychedelic plants, whether producers are not allowed to show off a little longer, but sorry ...The longest number on the record, more than five minutes - "Giving Up". This song McCoy, known in the recording of Gladys Knight & The Pips 1964. It should be noted that The Hassles, generally adhering arrangements The Pips, we came to this thing, more responsive. Slow down the rhythm, to emphasize the content - the sadness and loneliness of the abandoned lover, but especially impressive soulful vocals (again, it is not clear or is Joel Dizek), completely different from the soul clamorous voices prevailing in the album The Hassles."Coloured Rain" (Dark rain) - it poses against the backdrop of an album theme of unrequited love, is the only song of joy that brought the hero of his woman. This item Traffic, shortly before The Hassles published in the debut album of British rock group. The Hassles vocalist Steve Winwood singing adheres to the original, but in terms of instrumental The Hassles caught more psychedelia: Joel with his Hammond and lead guitarist Richie McKenna (erroneously indicated on the envelope Makkener) with its poisonous guitar. Incidentally, the latter may not be part of virtuoso solos, but plays a very colorful and emotionally. It is a pity that it is not as often as we would like."I Hear Voices" (I hear voices) - completely heartless psychedelic rock-soul number Gina Stashuk depicting drug addict, "hooked on treason", ie when taking the drug, instead of pleasurable sensations, caused some paranoia with sounding everywhere voices and etc.Judging by an unknown group, the debut album did not sell briskly, and yet the United Artists Records The Hassles given another chance. Two years later, the band released their second album - Hour of the Wolf (1969), where Billy Joel was given complete freedom as the author. He wrote almost all the songs: half - on their own, half - in collaboration with other team members. However, The Hassles disbanded soon after the release of the second album. Billy Joel arranged with drummer John Smalley heavy metal duo (sic!) Called Attila. Joel sang and played the organ, including those conducted on the keyboard bass (as did Ray Manzarek of The Doors). Oddly enough, but the pair sounded really powerful and heavy.But their only self-titled album Attila (1970) earned the worst reputation among critics rock album of all time. Stephen Thomas Erluayn of AllMusic.com he wrote about: "Attila - certainly the worst album in the history of rock 'n' roll, but what there is - in the history of sound recording. The rock music was a lot of bad ideas, but nothing compares to the enormous stupidity "Attila." However, the original vinyl Attila 1970 now valued not less than 100 euros and it sounds pretty funny when you consider how heavy music played Billy Joel in his youth, and in which he hit popsnyu later.

Rock band '60s, where he first lit Billy Joel. It was published two full-length albums (and who are represented here) and several singles. The initial line-up was as follows:John Dizek (vocals on the first album)Billy Joel (keyboards, on the second album and vocals)Jon Small (drums)Howie Blauvelt (bass guitar)Richard McKenner (guitar)Dizek went through some time after recording the first album, and Joel took over the duties of the vocalist. Joel, and Small eventually formed the band Attila, Blauvelt and later joined the Ram Jam.

: 01-Country Boy02-Night After Day03-Hour Of The Wolf04-4 O'Clock In The Morning05-Cat06-Hotel St. George07-Land Of Despair08-Further Than Heaven40:34